It’s finally time to leave 2016 in the dust and move forward with new beginnings in 2017, starting right at home. These tips will make you feel like you have a brand new apartment, without the expenses that come with moving.
Rotate your bed
You’ve probably heard about the Chinese art of placement, feng shui, many times in your life. Feng shui operates on the belief that we are affected by our surroundings and provides guidelines on how to create a harmonious environment in your home. According to feng shui, the optimal position for the bed is as far away as possible from, but still facing, the door. Being able to see the entryway to the room allows you to feel comfortable and safe while you sleep, and being far away from it provides for relaxation and positive energy.
There’s even scientific evidence for positioning your bed a certain way. Research from Missouri University discovered that people who sleep facing west or east experienced shorter REM cycles than those who sleep facing north or south. The longer your REM cycles, the more rested you feel in the morning. Plus, the sun rising on your side rather than directly in front of you has to be at least a little beneficial.
Don’t knock it ’til you try it! If all of this turns out to be baloney, at least you’ll (literally) have a brand new perspective when you wake up in the morning.
Total cost: $0 and a super fun day of moving your bed
Repurpose your holiday decor
If you’re anything like me, you completely fell in love with having lights hung up during the holidays. And, if you’re really anything like me, you’re probably spending the days after the holidays trying to find a real reason not to just leave the holiday lights up forever. Until this point, I haven’t found one – and in fact I’ve found many ways to use indoor lights without looking like the Girl Who Left Her Lights Up For So Long Last Year That She Doesn’t Have To Decorate This Year.
You may have heard of this season’s biggest lifestyle trend, hygge, which consists of making your home and yourself as cozy as humanly possible. Luckily, string lights are extremely hygge. Hanging some among or behind sheer curtains gives your room an instant cozy feel without looking Christmasy.
If you feel like getting a little more creative, you can hang string lights across your wall and use clothespins to hang some nicely spaced-out photos on them, or even bundle them up and put them inside a large jar to form a DIY light.
Printed photos: $6
Clothespins: $2
Total cost: $8
Refluff the rugs
Did you know that you could refluff an area rug? First, clear the rug of all furniture and make sure the surrounding area is clear as well. Shake the rug as best you can – and don’t be too surprised by the amount of dust that was hiding in there. If you have an outdoor space and a little bit of pent up frustration, hang the rug over a clothesline or something similar and – this is not a joke – beat it for a few minutes. Experts agree: there’s no better way to get the dirt out of a rug – and relieve some of that extra work stress – than by repeatedly whacking it.
After you’ve swept and vacuumed the floor underneath the rug, lay it back in its place, but rotated 90 or 180 degrees. A change in the direction of foot traffic every so often is beneficial for a rug in the long run. Now, get ready to get down and dirty. Closely inspect the rug for any frayed strings, and use a scissor to snip them as closely to the rug as you can get.
Next, check if there are dents in your rug from furniture sitting on it. If so, there is a special trick you can use to get rid of them. Allegedly, all you have to do is place an ice cube on each dent, leave it there overnight, and let the magic happen. If you do try this, let us know how it goes.
Finally, use a vacuum to pull any remaining pieces of dirt and dust out of the rug. If your rug is on the shaggier side, try using a dog (or human) hair brush to tease it up a bit.
Total cost: $0
Change the lighting
Did you know that the lighting in your home doesn’t only affect what you see, but also how you feel? Per this study, people tend to feel emotions – both positive and negative – more strongly when they’re in bright light, so if you’re looking for some calm, go straight for the dimmer.
On a more physical level, lighting can make rooms look bigger, smaller, more or less crowded, cozy, festive, or even creepy. If you want to make your room feel bigger, try to have a few sources of light spread out throughout the room. If you only have a ceiling light, the light will flood the middle of the room and make it feel smaller. Adding a floor lamp or side table lamp will help expand the reach of the light and add different angles.
If you already have a lamp or two, give it a little upgrade by changing the lampshade. Bringing in a new color will completely transform not only the light in your apartment, but the lamp’s role in your interior decor.
Lampshade: $50
New lamp: $150
Max total cost: $200
Rearrange your bookcase
There are endless ways to decorate a bookcase, making it one of the best pieces of furniture to own. If you don’t yet have one, I’d highly recommend it. They’re easy to build (I can personally vouch for this one), and instantly add a homey feeling to your apartment by filling wall space in a three dimensional way.
If you’re able to fill up all of the shelves with books, arrange them alphabetically by title or author, or line them up by spine color, height, or width. Literary collection not quite there yet? Consider using the bottom shelves for books and the ones closer to the top to put your personality on display. Candles, picture frames, small plants or terrariums, and other various trinkets make great display pieces to fill in the spaces where your future books will go.
To further transform your bookcase, line the backs of the shelves with removable wallpaper or decals.
Removable wallpaper: $60
Bookshelf: $45
Max total cost: $105
Are you doing some redecorating this year? Share your ideas in the comments below.
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